macOS High Sierra 10.13.0 - where to download full installer?

[Bernard_Huang]

Hi,

I heard the news High Sierra's out (Yay!)

But when I go to Apple's App Store, search for High Sierra and then download, it only downloads a 19.9Mb file.

Where can I download the full version? I searched developer.apple.com as well.

I want a stand alone installer (and create a bootable USB from it) so I can easily and quickly test out multiple Macbooks with this new OS.

Is there anywhere can download the full installer?

[sdagley]

@Bernard.Huang These 2 blog posts will show you a couple of ways to get the full High Sierra installer:

https://managingosx.wordpress.com/2017/09/26/some-stuff-about-install-macos-high-sierra-app/

https://managingosx.wordpress.com/2017/09/26/stupid-install-macos-high-sierra-tricks/

[Bernard_Huang]

Thanks for replying, but the instructions is a little beyond me.
I don't have a software update server.

Anyone else can think of something simpler?

[MacSysAdmin]

If you have a 10.13 Public Beta computer and try to download High Sierra it will download the full 5+GB installer.

[andreassauer]

I downloaded yesterday from Apple's App Store and got 5.19 GB! Have you tried it a second Time?

[mm2270]

I needed to use a completely different Mac to get the full installer. My primary system simply would not download the full installation. I kept getting the 19 MB stub installer no matter what tricks I tried. I'm not sure if maybe the App Store remembers what you downloaded previously on the same Mac or something, but that was the only way I was able to get it.

It's kind of an annoying change that Apple threw in at the last minute. I don't really get the reasoning behind doing it this way now.

[Lotusshaney]

How does Greg find the time to work all this out ? :)

[alexmcclements]

I got it to download on a generic vmware fusion image.

[sdagley · Accepted solution]

@Bernard.Huang That first linked blog post doesn't actually indicate you need your own software update server, just that if you did have one it needed to have the HS update cached for the App Store to find it. You can force the softwareupdate tool to use Apple's servers by issuing the following command in Terminal: sudo softwareupdate --clear-catalog (may require 10.12) and that should allow the App Store to download the full installer.

[jphillips]

I couldn't see the installer on my App Store either while signed in. Once I signed out, it magically appeared.

[Bernard_Huang]

OMG! Thank you @sdagley :)

Your suggestion worked. I did the "sudo softwareupdate --clear-catalog" on a Sierra 10.12.6 Macbook. I also did a reboot just to make sure everything is resetted.

And now it is downloading 5.18Gb.

Thank you very much. Both thumbs up from me.

[mhasman]

Seems like Apple "fixed" it again.
Only downloads the small file for now.

[cabalist]

Option + Clicking download worked for me on one of my machines but not an older one. Weird!

[Look]

When we were doing this a month or so ago we just have totally random behaviour with this, we had a bunch of basically identical iMacs and a couple always get the full installer and a couple always get the small installer. Doesn't seem to matter what they are running or whether they had been upgraded before, so we just kept one of the ones that always worked to the side until we had what we needed.
It's pretty annoying given you need the full installer to build any kind of NetBoot or NetInstall solution.

[manu_knth]

You suggestion "sudo softwareupdate --clear-catalog" is working for me., Now the system allowing me to download full installer. Thank you

[bablamusic72]

I have El capitan.

But when trying to download the installer it is downloading 19 mb file.

any suggestions

[Harma]

For the small file problem:
From https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372:

"To download High Sierra, use a Mac with High Sierra, Sierra 10.12.5 or later, or El Capitan 10.11.6. Enterprise administrators, please download from Apple, not a locally hosted software-update server."

This solved the small app file problem for me. I had Sierra 10.12.3 and after updating to the latest version the download worked normally.

[Sandy]

Ran across this today

http://osxdaily.com/2017/09/27/download-complete-macos-high-sierra-installer/

[lilli969]

That first linked blog post doesn't actually indicate you need your own software update server, just that if you did have one it needed to have the HS update cached for the App Store to find it. You can force the softwareupdate tool to use Apple's servers by issuing the following command in Terminal: sudo softwareupdate --clear-catalog (may require 10.12) and that should allow the App Store to download the full installer.

My Question to post above:
Where .... do I have to put in Softwareupdate --clear-catalog .... in which terminal ? If I put inside of update terminal, nothing happens .....